3rd Annual Tax Day East Orange
Tea Party
04/15/11

The Third Annual East Orange
Tea Party was held on 4/15/11 at 12:00 Noon in front of
the Clock Garden on the corner of Evergreen Place and
Central Avenue. I moved it to this location because it is
a short walking distance from my house and I no longer
have the time or energy to get to the Senior Garden at
City Hall Plaza or travel to Watsessing Park.

The reason I call it the clock garden is obvious,
looking at the photo on the left.

For the occasion, I built a traveling Kiosk
mounted to my grocery cart. It all folds up so I can easily carry
it in the cart and it's no heavier than a load of groceries. The
one problem I had was with the wind... it tends to attempt to
sail away when the wind gets gusty. This year I solved the
problem by hanging onto the cart when it got windy. Next time
I'll carry wooden wheel blocks.

This year I made a brochure to give to anyone
who asked me about the Tea Party. I gave away five of the ten I
had printed up, but all of the people who took them seemed really
interested and I am confident I won't find them flying around the
streets of East Orange abandoned to the wind.

I did not attract a TV crew like I did last year,
but the East Orange Police Department was on the job and made
sure I was there lawfully. They were very polite and courteous,
and agreed to let me take this photo showing the most exciting
part of this year's Tea Party event.

Next week, on Friday,
April 22nd, Earth Day, I will be back on this corner and this
time giving away apple tree seedlings to any who bring me a bag
of trash collected from the city streets. That's because I have
declared Earth Day to coincide with Johnny
Appleseed Day in East Orange. No one said I could do that,
but no one said I couldn't, either, so I am and I will. Drop by
with a bag of litter and get your genuine heirloom apple seedling.

This is a necessary first step. We, the People
of the United States, have allowed politicians to do our thinking
and our jobs for so long that they have begun to believe they are
in charge, and not us. This will show them who is really in
charge and why the Constitution of the United States begins with
the words: "We the People of the United States." Vote
for someone who has not yet become corrupted by public office
perks, a cushy public salary, and access to our tax money. Don't
think you can let someone else have a free ride by not voting.
Your job is to VOTE, not to avoid personal responsibility. Find
the most sincere, honest candidate of any party and vote for the
person, not the party.

Join a political party; do not register as an
"independent" or some third party. Become a Democrat or
a Republican. Choose the party that needs the most reform so you
can vote in that party's Primary Election. In East Orange, you
should become a Democrat because the Republican Party has no real
presence here and you can only make your vote count in the
Primary Elections by being a registered Democrat. In the final
elections, you can vote your conscience without regard for any
political party.

Vote for Tax REFORM on all levels, local, state
and federal. Vote NO to ALL bond requests, even if they make you
feel good. Vote down ANY and ALL tax increases. Make them use the
tax money they already have and are wasting. Don't give them any
new money to play with until they get control of government
spending, fraud and waste.

Begin this year on your Tax Return by letting
them know what is coming and check "NO" (or leave
unchecked) the box for Contributing money to the Presidential
Election Campaign (Federal) AND Gubernatorial Elections Fund
(State). If this makes you feel guilty, contribute that money
directly to the candidate of your choice, or to your favorite
charity. Tax Reform BEGINS with Fiscal Responsibility. Don't
expect your governments to give you a free ride at someone else's
expense. There is no such thing as a free lunch. Politicians
don't yet know that. Teach them.

This is a long term goal; one that will take
time to get fixed. The IRS makes you sign your tax return
"under penalties of perjury." Make politicians take an
oath of office with the same wording at the end: "Under
penalties of perjury, I do so swear."

For now: demand that politicians running for
public office at ANY level end all of their advertising with the
same clause: "I swear under penalties of perjury that
everything in this political advertisement is the truth."
Make them state this publicly at any and all public meetings,
especially those which are recorded or televised.

This is also a long term goal and will take time
to get the laws changed and the Constitution amended. If the
Office of the President of the United States is LIMITED to two
terms of four years each, so should every elective public office
be similarly limited. If a person can't carry out every one of
his or her campaign promises within that time, they were not
competent to do so from the beginning. Eight years is enough. Let
someone else have a turn. If they were good at their jobs and
carried out all their promises, they can always run for some
other office, or go home and tend the garden.

For now: Vote ALL incumbents out of office. For
the near future, use your vote to limit terms of ALL public
offices.

Do none harm, speak none harm, think none harm.

Demand the same of yourself as you demand of others.

Take personal responsibility for your environment and
your government.